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Monday, February 1, 2016

This set of dental tools was used by Dr. Earle Munson during a practice in Gardner, Massachusetts from 1918 to 1954. He is the father of Bradford dentist Dr. Philip Munson and grandfather of Dr. Robert Munson. The cabinet pictured below held dental instruments and medications during the Gardner practice. It is now an ornamental part of the current Dr. Munson's office.

Some dentists were itinerant and offered services in a number of communities. This also opened the door to quacks who preyed on unsuspecting patients. Dr. Sebre Gustin Jr. practice dentistry for 35 years until his death in 1883.

Cocaine toothache drops were introduced in 1885 and was very popular for the treatment of toothache pain

in children. This was an example of the use of cocaine as a "miracle cure." It was said that in addition to soothing pain it would put the child in a "better mood."

In the 1880s tube toothpaste began to replace liquid or powder forms of dentifrice. Colgate became the most popular brand. This ad was published during World War I.

In 1887 Frank Ritter began to manufacture dental chairs in Rochester, New York. The one pictured in this 1917 advertisement was the first example of single dental unit equipment. Below is pictured the Ritter chair used by Dr. Earle Munson during his practice.

In the more than 200 years of American dental history, the profession has made giant strides beyond this kind of dentures manufactured from animal or human teeth.

“Many are inclined to neglect their teeth until they are
past remedy, or have them filled in a diseased condition--making the foolish
remark, ‘So long as my teeth don’t trouble me, I won’t trouble them.’”

Dr. R. Kilbourn Green Mountain Freeman, 1848

Most people
would rather not find themselves in a dentist’s chair.But for centuries, those same people have
sought relief from the stabbing pain of a toothache or needed replacements for
missing teeth. This article describes advances in dental care and how those developments
found their way into local practices.

Dental health
was mixed in ancient times. While teeth were often worn by the abrasives in
crudely ground flours, many people did not have cavities resulting from a sugar-rich
diet.When dental problems did arise, they
were caused by the activity of toothworms.While the upper classes have consulted physicians or dentatores , others
relied on folk prescriptions ranging from donkey’s milk to cloves or turned to
blacksmiths, barbers, monks or other “tooth-drawers.”

There is
evidence of extractions by forceps and fillings with soft materials that
prevented air from reaching exposed roots. There is also evidence of attempts of
replacing missing teeth using ivory or using teeth taken from animals or even from
other humans. The latter might come from corpses, purchased from the indigent
or even stolen by toothnappers.

For centuries people
have used toothpicks made from, depending on their social class, hog bristles and twigs or precious metals. Powders
were used to clean teeth and freshen breath, but overly abrasive powders could damaged
enamel.

French physician
Pierre Fauchard is considered to be the founder of modern dentistry. In 1728 he
published the first scientific description of dental anatomy, causes and
treatment of dental diseases and available dental instruments.

Colonial America
had no professionally trained dentists. As before, those needing assistance
would turn to those who did dentistry on the side. Boston engraver Paul Revere
was one . His neighbor Isaac Greenwood is considered to be one of the first
native- born dentists.

Greenwood’s son
John was also a dentist in 1790 and made one of several sets of false teeth
worn by George Washington, which incidentally was not made of wood. John
Greenwood also constructed the first known foot powered dental drill. About the
same time Josiah Flagg of Hartford, Connecticut constructed the first dental
chair.It was a Windsor chair with an
adjustable headrest and an arm modified to hold instruments.

By the 1830’s
many were using commercially available tooth-care products and treating pain
with a variety of patent medications. One Vermont newspaper in 1836 carried an
advertisement for Cambrian Tooth-ache Pills which promised “immediate relief.” At best, such products usually offered only
temporary relief.

Similar
advertisements mentioned the availability to dentists of the time-worn “tooth
key” for extractions. This instrument was used to turn the tooth out, usually
resulting in breaking the tooth and creating excruciating pain.

Time often
lagged between celebrated inventions and their appearance in local communities.
In 1825 Samuel Stockman began the
commercial manufacturing of porcelain teeth.By the mid-1830s advertisements began to appear in Vermont newspapers
for porcelain replacements, a lucrative, if not always successful, product. At
least one Vermont dentist still offered animal teeth as an alternative.

Some dentists
filled cavities with metal foil as mercury amalgam paste was available but
unstable. The Crawcour Brothers were charlatans known for using unstable silver
paste on anyone willing to pay.At the
same time there was a controversy within the dental profession over the use of
amalgam fillings.

In 1836 Charles
Goodyear invented vulcanized rubber and in 1864, Vulcanite was patented as an
excellent base for false teeth. In 1867 a Chelsea dentist advertised that “he
was fully authorized” toinsert teeth
into this hard rubber base. Dentures underwent a number of innovations during
the years that followed. One of many patents was awarded in 1875 to Dr. J. N. Clark of Bradford.

In 1846 Vermont dentists announced the use of
sulphuric ether for painless extractions. In 1848 chloroform became available
for dental use. By March of that year, one Brattleboro dentist using this
anesthesia was “literally thronged with patients.” In 1876 the Vermont Phoenix reported, “It is
needless to dilate on the inestimable boon which anesthesia in its various useful
applications has conferred on mankind.”

In 1892 a Boston
dentist invented “Vegetable Vapors” as a substitute for “ether, chloroform or
all dangerous substitutes used to destroy pain.” The only notice of its local
use was in a series of ads in The United
Opinion from 1897-1899. It was being used by Dr. W. H. Talbot of Haverhill
who promised “painless dentistry.”

Two advertised
product available to Vermonters in the 1830’s were “The British Antiseptic
Dentifrice Tooth Powder and “Jones’s Amber Tooth Paste.”The latter guaranteed
to “render the foulest teeth delicately white and make the breath pure and
sweet.”Baking soda was also a popular dental cleaner.

In the 1880’s
tube toothpaste began to replace the liquid or powder forms of dentifrice, with
Colgate being the most popular brand. Thanks to mass marketing it became used widely
within 20 years.

Since ancient
times some form of toothbrushes were used to clean teeth. In 1857 H. N.
Wadsworth received the first toothbrush patent. While toothbrushes were
mentioned in Vermont newspapers prior to that time, advertisements for them
began to appear in 1860.

Over the next 40
years, a number of innovations changed dental practice. In 1871, a patent was
given for the first commercially manufactured foot-treadle dental engine.This invention revolutionized drilling of
teeth. In 1877 the Wilkerson pump-type hydraulic dental chair was introduced

In 1890
Willoughby Miller reported on plaque as the basis of dental decay. This resulted
in a heightened awareness of oral hygiene. Nevertheless, it was still rare for
individuals to visit a dentist until there was a problem.It was rarer still for a child to visit a dentist as most felt
that primary teeth did not need special care as they would soon fall out.

Dental x-ray was
introduced in 1895.It was first mentioned in The United Opinion in 1896 and after 1914 was included in dental
advertisements in both states. Dental offices became electrified in Vermont
after 1893. Charles Land devised the porcelain jacket crown in 1903.The local
anesthetic Procain was introduced in 1905, later marketed as Novocain.

After an
unsuccessful attempt to establish dental nurseing as a practice, the first
dental hygienists were graduated from formal training in 1913. It would be
another seven years before a license was granted to a dental hygienist in
Vermont. Dental assistants involved in four-handed dentistry were not certified
in Vermont until 1962.

Records from the late 1770’s indicate there
were no local dentists. As communities and the profession expanded, dentists
began to offer their services. About 1840 Dr. Abram Dickey established a
practice in Lyme and was still listed in 1867 along with Samuel Hale of Orford.

In 1852 Alvah Cummings was listed as a Topsham
dentist and Edwin Kilbourne practiced in Bradford. Twenty-five years later the
New England dental directory listed two dentists in Thetford, three in Groton,
at least four in Bradford and one each in Lyme, Orford, Woodsville, Topsham,
Newbury and West Fairlee.Some
communities had no dentists. By 1919 there were four dentists in Woodsville. They included Dr. Edward Miller of Ryegate and
Dr. H. G. Darling.

Dr. Oscar H.
Stevens is one dentist who devoted his entire career to serving the area. Born
in Corinth in 1843, he was in practice in Bradford in 1868 and continued until
about 1905. His advertisement that year offered patients a newly patented
“improved dental plate.” In 1876 he, along with fellow dentist J. N. Clark, were
described as “well known and highly esteemed dentists, in the use of all modern
improvements.” By that time his advertisements noted he had fashioned over 300
sets of teeth.

Those modern
improvements included his use of the “Electric Vibrator” for the extraction of
teeth “without being tortured and without the least danger.” In 1891 he offered
his services to the citizens of St. Johnsbury and Barton as a visiting
dentist.To those who needed his
services he advertised, “Now is your time.”

Other
established dentists offered services in neighboring towns. In the mid-19th century, a dental surgeon from Chelsea, Dr. Sebre Gustin, Jr. advertised that he was available in Thetford and Corinth along with other Orange County towns. In 1888 Dr. A.
Clark of Montpelier advertised his services in Groton, Waits River and West
Fairleefor a week at a time. In 1902
Dr. Walter Cole of Bradford offered to see patients in Orford and Lyme three
day each month.

Dentists were
even known to make house calls. Farmer Henry Martin of Bradford had his
remaining teeth pull while sitting on the running board of his vehicle in his
front yard. He then went to milk the cows.

As dentistry
training became an established expectation, the profession saw the advantages
of both licensure and organization. The American Dental Association was
organized in 1859. In 1877 both the Vermont State Dental Society and the New
Hampshire Dental Society were organized. Within a year New Hampshire adopted a
licensing requirement with a board of dental examiners. Vermont did the same in
1882.

The profession tried to protect the public
from quacks, especially those who arrived in town, performed procedures and
then disappeared, leaving suffering patients behind. In 1905 the St.
JohnsburyCaledonian reported a case in which a quack extracted teeth from
aBethel patent under the promise of no
pain. His quick exit left behind a girl who experienced “80 hours of terrible
pain and a badly swollen jaw.”

Advertising by
dentists was another issue and in the early decades of the 20th
century, the profession began to take a stand against it. It was only after
court cases against the prohibition in 1977 that advertising again appeared.

During World War
II millions of servicemen received dental care, many for the first time. This
helped to increase dental awareness in the general public in the years
following the war. For many the idea of a “family dentist” became a
reality.

The following is
a roster of local dentists from the past 80 years. Dr. Byron Bayley was
practicing in Bradford in the 1930’s. Dr. Leonard Abbadessa began his practice in
Bradford in 1942 and Dr. Perley Speed opened his office in Woodsville in 1944.
Dr. Philip Munson joined Dr. Bayley in 1948, and after leaving for service in
the Navy, returned to practice from 1953 until 2002. Dr. Peter Saladino had an
office from 1963-1993. Dr. James Barton began practicing in 1964 and retired in
2010.

Dr. James Brown
practiced in Haverhill from 1989 until his retirement before 2008. Dr. James
Gold had his practice in East Thetford from 1977until 2008 and then sold it to
Dr. Alicia Willette who still operates it.

Other current practitioners
include Dr. Robert Munson who joined his father’s practice in 1984 and Barton’s
son Dr. Charles Barton who began his dental career in 1994. His wife Dr. Khang
Bui joined her husband in 2006, the first female dentist in the area. Dr. Ralph
Falvotico opened office in Bath in 2000.

Drs. James
Barton and Robert Munson recently listed what, to them, were the most important
changes in dentistry during their careers in Bradford. Both agreed that
implants, changes in composites, fluoride additives, and root canal procedures
were major changes. Dr. Barton spoke about the importance of high speed drills,
an innovation at the beginning of his practice. Both felt that dental education
and care for children had improved dramatically.

My wife Carolyn
worked for many years as a dental assistant for both Drs. Munson and for Dr.
James Barton. In fact, I met her for the first time as I sat in Barton’s dental
chair in 1967. When Jim left the room temporarily he asked her to talk with
me.At the end of the procedure, I asked
her for a date. Over the years I have had a close connection with dentists and
their staffs and have not in those years regretted my history of sitting in a
dentist chair.

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About Me

I am the President of the Bradford Historical Society. I retired after teaching social studies in Bradford for 42 years, beginning at Bradford Academy in 1964 and finishing at Oxbow High School in June 2006. Throughout my teaching career I emphasized local history as a bridge to understanding United States history. This column has been a major activity of my retirement and I thank those who helped me research the topics and edit the writings. The towns covered include Thetford to Ryegate in Vermont and Lyme to Haverhill in New Hampshire. I have sold out of my first book IN TIMES PAST: ESSAYS FROM THE UPPER VALLEY, which raised $5300 for the Bradford Public Library. Book Two is now available by mail for $20, check payable to the Bradford Public Library, sent to Larry Coffin, PO Box 490, Bradford,VT 05033 or purchased at local outlets.